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DNA Favorites Blog
This is Richard Hill, founder of DNA Favorites. I don't write long, detailed blogs. My blogging style matches that of my website: clear, concise summaries with links to learn more.
I typically share these posts to my DNA Favorites Facebook page and to my RichardHillDNA accounts on Bluesky, X,and LinkedIn. You can follow me in whatever medium you prefer.
Sep 17, 2025
Woman Contacted by "Dead" Son 42 Years Later
Told her baby boy had died at birth, Diane was really a victim of forced adoption. Now she gets an email from her son.
Continue reading "Woman Contacted by "Dead" Son 42 Years Later"
Sep 15, 2025
The World’s Largest Y-DNA Haplotree
FamilyTreeDNA hosts the world’s largest Y-DNA haplotree — a living, growing record of human paternal ancestry that continues to evolve.
Sep 12, 2025
Understanding Your FamilyTreeDNA Autosomal Matches
DNA testing opens new doors—but that first match list can be overwhelming. This guide walks you through your Family Finder™ DNA results, step-by-step.
Continue reading "Understanding Your FamilyTreeDNA Autosomal Matches"
Sep 10, 2025
Ancient DNA Solves a Mystery around Language Origins
Where did Europe’s distinct Uralic family of languages — which includes Hungarian, Finnish, and Estonian — come from? New research puts their origins a lot farther east than many thought.
Continue reading "Ancient DNA Solves a Mystery around Language Origins"
Sep 08, 2025
A New Guide to Mitochondrial DNA
Roberta Estes has written a great step-by-step guide to matches, Mitotree, and mtDNA Discover.
Sep 04, 2025
Woman Finds Birth Father, Alive at 91
DNA testing at MyHeritage leads a woman in Australia to her birth father in Switzerland, plus two siblings.
Sep 02, 2025
Free Webinar on Y-DNA Testing
My upcoming presentation is open to the public. Learn how Y-DNA testing can trace and confirm paternal lines in your family tree.
Aug 27, 2025
Free Genealogy Webinars in September
It's time to register for Webtember, an annual online conference dedicated to all things family history. I will be presenting "Mastering the MyHeritage DNA Test."
Aug 22, 2025
Asking My Readers for a Favor
If you read my "Finding Family" book, please take a few minutes to review the book on Goodreads. This helps more adoptees discover how DNA can help them bypass sealed records and find biological relatives.
Aug 20, 2025
Getting DNA from Deceased Relatives
Did you wait too long to collect a vital DNA sample? Learn about the practical, legal, and ethical considerations for getting DNA from deceased relatives.
Aug 18, 2025
Join Me for "Comparing Ethnicity Tests"
Saturday, September 13, 2025, at the East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference. Learn why DNA ethnicity tests yield unexpected results. See why siblings can have surprisingly different ethnicities and why Native American ancestry is rarely found. Compare one person’s ethnicity reports from all the major DNA tests and learn why one test or another might be your best choice for ethnicity purposes. Register at this link.
Aug 15, 2025
Indigenous People Trace Roots thru Genealogy and DNA
Piapot First Nation members learn more about their family histories through a genealogy workshop and DNA testing.
Continue reading "Indigenous People Trace Roots thru Genealogy and DNA"
Aug 13, 2025
Hundreds of Children Disappeared in Argentina
This new book tells how grandmothers united to find them using disguises, DNA, and other daring techniques.
Continue reading "Hundreds of Children Disappeared in Argentina"
Aug 11, 2025
Get to Know WikiTree’s DNA Features
WikiTree’s DNA features help you connect your test results to a single global family tree, confirm relationships, and collaborate with genetic cousins.
Aug 08, 2025
Man Fakes DNA Test to Avoid Paying Child Support
A UK woman managed to prove that the father of her child had colluded with a DNA test lab employee to fake his paternity test and avoid paying over $125,000 in child support.
Continue reading "Man Fakes DNA Test to Avoid Paying Child Support"
Aug 06, 2025
DNA Matches by Cluster at Ancestry
Clusters let you visualize, sort, and group DNA matches to see how your matches are related to each other.
Aug 01, 2025
Korea Ends Private Adoptions After Years of Abuse
Korea sent more than 140,000 children overseas between 1955 and 1999. The process had been riddled with irregularities, including "fraudulent orphan registrations, identity tampering, and inadequate vetting of adoptive parents".
Continue reading "Korea Ends Private Adoptions After Years of Abuse"
Jul 30, 2025
DNA Reunites American and Japanese Siblings
After 71 years, Sharon learns she has a brother in Japan who her father fathered.
Continue reading "DNA Reunites American and Japanese Siblings"
Jul 25, 2025
New Documentary on DNA Doe Project
Disney has announced details on a new documentary from National Geographic, called “Naming The Dead.” It premieres on August 2, 2025, on the National Geographic channel, with a new episode being released each week. It will also stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
Jul 18, 2025
DNA Resources for Adoptees
Learn how to find birth parents and siblings through DNA testing. Explore more than 75 links to adoptee resources.
Jul 16, 2025
Ancestry’s New DNA Match Clusters
Ancestry recently introduced matches by cluster, a new ProTools feature that clusters your DNA matches together. Roberta Estes explains what they mean and how to use them.
Jul 11, 2025
Mastering the MyHeritage DNA Test
Register now for my free webinar on September 17, 2025, through Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
Jul 09, 2025
Mitochondrial DNA and Mitotree
If you did a mitochondrial DNA test at Family Tree DNA, you should review this great Q&A by Roberta Estes.
Jul 07, 2025
DNA Test Reveals Shocking Truth
Growing up Portuguese and Catholic, this 33-year-old woman discovers that her father was an Egyptian Muslim.
This site is designed for educational purposes only. The author is not engaged in rendering medical or legal advice.
Copyright © 2022 Richard Hill